Western Australia regional energy supplier Horizon Power has officially started trialling a vanadium flow battery in the northern part of the state as it explores how to integrate long-term energy storage into its network, microgrids and other off-grid energy sources. systems.
Horizon Power has commissioned a 78kW/220kWh vanadium flow battery (VFB) at Kununurra in Western Australia as it explores how the technology can best be used to support sustainable energy supplies in regional and remote areas.
The pilot project will test whether VFB technology – which proponents say can provide up to 12 hours of storage and operate over a wide temperature range – can solve the technical challenges associated with setting up long-term solutions for energy storage in extreme environments.
Horizon Power CEO Stephanie Unwin said this is the first time vanadium power technology has been tested in Western Australia and if successful it will be a real game changer for clean and reliable energy for regional and remote communities.
“Kununurra, with its warm and humid climate, is a challenging environment for battery energy storage,” she said. “Testing the vanadium flow battery in these extreme conditions will help us learn more about its capabilities and the potential to effectively integrate it into our grid, much of which is subject to extreme temperatures.”
The 220 kWh battery comes from UK-based manufacturer Invinity Energy Systems, but supplied by the Perth-headquartered company VSUN energya subsidiary of Australian Vanadium Ltd. (AVL), who took care of the installation and commissioning.
AVL CEO Graham Arvidson said the VFB technology provides a “proven” alternative to the lithium-ion battery technology that currently dominates stationary energy storage applications.
“It’s an established, proven technology,” Arvidson said. “It’s not R&D and the reason you don’t see them everywhere in countries like Australia is because the new use case is only now emerging. The energy transition is really coming into its own now, because we are looking at batteries with a longer lifespan. We are entering a completely new phase of the energy sector in which the economic aspects of these batteries is going to be very compelling.”
The durability, temperature resistance and long-term storage capacity of vanadium flow batteries suggest that they could play a crucial role in reducing the use of fossil fuels in energy generation, especially in harsh environments and remote locations.
Horizon said the Kununurra pilot project will provide valuable operational experience and understanding of VFB technology. The twelve-month pilot will also provide lessons on how integrate long-term energy storage in its network and off-grid energy systems.
“We look forward to learning more about the potential for this technology to be effectively integrated into our network, supporting future battery deployment across our territory,” said Unwin.
Horizon is responsible for delivering energy solutions across a service area of 2.3 million square kilometers. It operates the North West Interconnected System (NWIS) in the Pilbara region, the smaller Esperance network, as well as 34 microgrids in regional towns and remote communities.
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